Amazon.com, Inc. is a Delaware-incorporated, Nasdaq-listed (AMZN) retail, advertising, devices, and cloud conglomerate headquartered in Seattle. Its consumer surface spans the amazon.com storefront, Alexa voice assistants, Ring home cameras, Fire devices, and one of the largest digital advertising businesses in the US. Amazon's own notices state that it uses cookies, pixels, IP addresses, and other technologies to serve and measure interest-based ads, and that approved third parties may also set cookies when users interact with Amazon services. A self-run Blacklight scan of amazon.com in July 2026 observed 62 third-party hosts contacted while loading the site. Its regulatory track record includes two FTC actions announced May 31, 2023: a proposed order requiring Amazon to pay $25 million and delete children's Alexa voice recordings and geolocation data over COPPA-violation charges, and a proposed order requiring its Ring subsidiary to pay $5.8 million in consumer refunds over charges that employees and contractors were allowed access to customers' private videos. Ownership structure is publicly disclosed: its FY2025 Form 10-K lists significant subsidiaries (including Amazon Web Services, Inc.) with jurisdiction and percent owned, and Wikidata records no parent organization above Amazon.com, Inc.
TRACK RECORD
2 ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS
[2023-05-31]
On May 31, 2023, the FTC announced a proposed order under which Ring LLC — a home security camera company purchased by Amazon in February 2018 — will pay $5.8 million in consumer refunds, settling charges that Ring allowed any employee or contractor to access customers' private videos and failed to implement basic privacy and security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumers' accounts, cameras, and videos.
On May 31, 2023, the FTC and DOJ announced charges that Amazon violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule by keeping children's Alexa voice recordings and geolocation data for years and undermining parents' deletion requests; the proposed federal court order requires Amazon to pay $25 million and delete children's data, geolocation data, and other voice recordings, and prohibits using such data to train its algorithms.
The Washington Attorney General's office published a press release mentioning Amazon: "Washington joins FTC lawsuit alleging Amazon inflate…
Agency: Washington Attorney General's office. Release headline: "Washington joins FTC lawsuit alleging Amazon inflated ad pricing". This wording is the agency's own -- we link to the release rather than republish it. Reviewer: tighten this title to what the release actually says before publishing.
The FTC published a press release mentioning Amazon: "FTC, States Sue Amazon Over Secret Ad Surcharge Scheme" (2026-08-31).
Agency: Federal Trade Commission. Release headline: "FTC, States Sue Amazon Over Secret Ad Surcharge Scheme". This wording is the FTC's own -- we link to the release rather than republish it. Reviewer: tighten this title to what the release actually says (for example, announced a proposed order, filed a complaint, or finalized a settlement) before publishing.
Receipted federal filings: FEC campaign-finance records and LDA lobbying disclosures. A tie is a disclosed transaction or filing, not a claim of influence or wrongdoing.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Appropriations, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, per LDA Form LD-2.
AMAZON.COM SERVICES LLC reported lobbying activity before the Senate on LAW-coded issues, where the official serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, per LDA Form LD-2.
Amazon.com, Inc.'s Form 10-K for fiscal year 2025 (filed with the SEC on February 6, 2026) includes Exhibit 21.1, "List of Significant Subsidiaries," disclosing each significant subsidiary's legal name, jurisdiction, and percent owned — including Amazon.com Services LLC (Delaware, 100%), Amazon Web Services, Inc. (Delaware, 100%), and Amazon Technologies, Inc. (Nevada, 100%).
The cover page of Amazon.com, Inc.'s Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (Commission File No. 000-22513) identifies Delaware as its state of incorporation and 410 Terry Avenue North, Seattle, Washington as its principal executive offices.
Wikidata's registry entry for Amazon (Q3884) records it as a public company listed on Nasdaq under ticker AMZN since May 1997, founded by Jeff Bezos, with no parent-organization (P749) statement — Amazon.com, Inc. is the top of its own ownership chain.
On May 31, 2023, the FTC announced a proposed order under which Ring LLC — a home security camera company purchased by Amazon in February 2018 — will pay $5.8 million in consumer refunds, settling charges that Ring allowed any employee or contractor to access customers' private videos and failed to implement basic privacy and security protections, enabling hackers to take control of consumers' accounts, cameras, and videos.
On May 31, 2023, the FTC and DOJ announced charges that Amazon violated the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) Rule by keeping children's Alexa voice recordings and geolocation data for years and undermining parents' deletion requests; the proposed federal court order requires Amazon to pay $25 million and delete children's data, geolocation data, and other voice recordings, and prohibits using such data to train its algorithms.
Amazon's Cookies Notice (last updated January 1, 2020) states: "We use cookies, pixels, and other technologies (collectively, *cookies*) to recognize your browser or device, learn more about your interests, and provide you with essential features and services and for additional purposes," including delivering interest-relevant content and ads on Amazon and third-party sites; it also states that "Approved third parties may also set cookies when you interact with Amazon services."
Amazon's Interest-Based Ads notice states that Amazon uses "cookies, pixels, IP addresses, and other technologies (collectively, *advertising technologies*)" to serve and measure interest-based ads, and that third-party advertisers or advertising companies working on their behalf "sometimes use advertising technologies in the process of delivering content, including ads, directly to your browser or device."